Growing in greenhouse has many benefits. Surprisingly, not everyone knows how to use greenhouse’s full potential. It offers a controlled environment meaning you can be in charge of the temperature, air flow and light. So, if you are a new hobby greenhouse gardener in this article you will find out why and how to use a greenhouse.
1. Keep Plants Over Winter
Keeping tender herbs and annuals, for example, geraniums, over winter in greenhouse protects them from frosts, rain and snow. Overwintering plants has many advantages. First, you don’t need to replant your crops. Second, you can have earlier spring harvests. Last, you don’t need to buy all new plants in spring.
2. Germinate Seeds in a greenhouse
In spring you can use greenhouse to start seeds in seed-starting tray or directly in the ground inside the structure. Prior to this you would need to check in what plant hardiness zone is your location. It will help to determine when is the last frost date for your area. Based on this information you might be able to start seeds in unheated greenhouse.
3. Propagate plants in a greenhouse
Greenhouse can be used for plant propagation whether sexual or asexual. We have talked already about germinating seeds, now lets talk about growing plants asexually – from cuttings, leaves. An unheated greenhouse during the colder months can be too cool for successful propagation.
So many growers start growing cuttings indoors. Once these sprout you can transplant them to a greenhouse. However, if you live in the area with warm climate you can dedicate an area inside the greenhouse structure for propagation. If the soil is not warm enough, you can use the heated mat or heating cables.
That way you maintain the optimal soil temperature for rooting and keep the overall heating costs low. Many gardeners recommend to grow cuttings in a greenhouse so they adapt to the real growing conditions. Especially if you are rooting hardwood cuttings which will then transfer to the garden.
When should you start using a greenhouse?
When you need to start using a greenhouse depends on the area you live in and a type of greenhouse structure. Generally, you can start using a freestanding greenhouse in December – February if it is heated to a minimum temperature of 45°F (7°C). Most gardeners prefer to bring the plants in October to November. Also, if set up properly, you can use a greenhouse all year round.
When should I start plants in my greenhouse?
Greenhouse offers a controlled environment, so you can start plants at any time. For example, start plants in January, so you can transplant them in the spring – March or April.
Also, you can start warm-season plants in your greenhouse in spring. However, if you live in the area with freezing temperature, then it is better to start plants in a greenhouse in the mid of April or early May.
4. Grow plants inside a greenhouse all year round
In a greenhouse you can not only start seeds earlier but you can plant fruits and vegetables all year round. You just need to ensure that you can create and maintain optimal environment. That is relatively easy because greenhouse secures warmth and humidity inside the structure.
Moreover, plants can even grow faster because they receive more carbon dioxide inside the greenhouse compared to growing in the garden.
5. Shield crops from excess heat
Sometimes, excess heat can be a problem in indoor and outdoor gardening. A greenhouse helps to create or regulate appropriate temperature for plants by adding a cooling mechanism. There are 8 ways to cool down a greenhouse for the optimal plant growth. Moreover, you can cool a greenhouse to a desirable temperature without electricity.
Also, the excess of sunlight can be very damaging. In a greenhouse you can control the amount of sun your plants get. All you need to do is to shade greenhouse glazing. There are four ways of shading a greenhouse structure, but I personally use shade cloth.
6. Protect plants from pests
Pests and plant diseases are the most common reasons why many plants die. When growing plants in a garden they can be destroyed by garden pests. Greenhouse will protect your crops from a majority of pests. Although, you might still need to deal with bugs, here is an easy way to get rid of them.
When dealing with pests you need to use pesticides. Even though pesticides target pests and are natural, not all of them are safe for environment or humans. So growing in a greenhouse can minimize the need of using pesticides.
It is devastating to spend so much time growing plants and then one morning find out that someone ate them. That is why greenhouse is perfect to protect your crops from the outside.
7. Store your houseplants
If you are a plant lover, at some point you will run out of place to store your houseplants. Just move houseplants that don’t fit on sunny windowsills inside your home in the greenhouse. However, keep in mind that some indoor plants need less light than plants that grow outside.
8. Grow exotic plants
If you are lucky enough and live in a climate with warm temperatures year round, you can organize a hot greenhouse and grow some exotic plants. Papaya, bananas, pineapple – you name it! You can even grow coffee and then roast the beans.
To grow exotic plants in a greenhouse you might need to invest in heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Keep in mind that majority of exotic plans thrive in temperatures from 75 to 80°F.
9. Store gardening equipment
A nicely organized greenhouse can turn into a gardening workstation and equipment storage. You can separate your greenhouse into sections, for example, potting area, propagation station or dedicate a shelf for potting mix and soil amendments. That way you will know exactly where everything is.
If you need some inspiration on how to organize a greenhouse, I am sharing my 13 organization hacks here. Also, don’t forget about the actual construction. You can collect rainwater from greenhouse roof by building a simple guttering system and connecting it to a water butt.
